The Oscars just happened and many of the best films of the year were celebrated, but even more deserving films do not get many mentions. So today, I'm presenting an alternative Oscars to give props to some of the films that were left out and are worth seeing. I'll be leaving out many of the technical categories and focusing on the bigger ones: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Director.

First, the writing and directing awards.

Best Screenplay

The Lobster

The Nice Guys

Midnight Special

10 Cloverfield Lane

This category is usually split into two: original and adapted, but for our purpose we will just do one. These films are some of the best written of past year. The Lobster did actually receive a nomination in this category (its only one), but I felt like it had to win. The world of The Lobster is incredibly unique and there is nothing else like it. The world is so fleshed out and the way characters interact is so strange, it is truly masterful writing and makes for a great film. A close second to this is The Nice Guys. The best written action scenes and some of the best dialog of 2016 is in this film. Midnight Special and 10 Cloverfield Lane are two perfectly created thrillers. The action in Special is fantastic and the character moments in Lane are on par.

Best Directing

The Lobster

Green Room

Midnight Special

Silence

The Witch

A lot of films this year had some amazing direction. The camera movement and the scenes that were captured were breathtaking in most of these films. The Lobster contains some absolute gorgeous vistas, as does Special and The Witch. All of these films are gorgeous and well-composed. The same is true for Silence. Green Room was one of the most exciting and well-executed films of the year, but the award has to go to Special. The action and tension are amazing and so many of the shots in this film could be taken as stills and framed.

Best Actor

Ryan Gosling – The Nice Guys

Russell Crowe – The Nice Guys

Colin Farrell – The Lobster

Michael Shannon – Midnight Special

Gosling was nominated for La La Land, but he really deserved an award for The Nice Guys. Both lead men in The Nice Guys delivered some of their best performances of all time. They are real and vulnerable and so funny in their parts. They play amazingly off each other too. This was Gosling’s best role in 2016 and some of the best acting overall. Farrell and Shannon also do their best in their respective films. Farrell is so awkwardly constricted in this film and he carries the whole story amazingly. Shannon does what he always does providing brooding and stoicism like no other.

Best Actress

Anya Taylor-Joy – The Witch

Mary Elizabeth Winstead – 10 Cloverfield Lane

Amy Adams – Arrival

In all of these films, the weight of it is carried by their female leads. The success of the film relies almost entirely on their performances and these roles are some of the best. Taylor-Joy and Winstead play victim roles, but they transcend that for their own survival. Winstead brings depth to what could be a boring role. Taylor-Joy is incredibly young and carries the entire film. The story is hers and she owns the screen. The win has to go to Adams, though, in one of the best films of the year. This is one of her best performances. She is tough, vulnerable and effectively controls the whole show.

Best Supporting Actor

John Goodman – 10 Cloverfield Lane

Patrick Stewart – Green Room

These two roles are amazingly against type for these actors. Goodman is a perfect adversary in Cloverfield Lane. He plays a scary villain and sells his mind games so well. Yet, he also brings a humanizing, tragic note to the character. Goodman always elevates the films he is in and here he makes the role; I could not imagine anyone else doing this part. The same can be said of Stewart, playing the leader of a group of Nazis. Stewart has never been so mean or so dark. Both are career highlights and movie making roles.

Best Supporting Actress

Gillian Jacobs – Don’t Think Twice

Angourie Rice – The Nice Guys

Morena Baccarin – Deadpool

Don’t Think Twice was one of the best independent films from last year. This is largely because of Jacobs’s performance. She is funny, charming and very real at the same time. Jacobs lights up the screen really provides the emotional core to the film. The young Rice in Nice Guys plays Gosling’s daughter and she is fantastic. She is sweet and funny as the nosy kid and she manages to hold her own with Gosling and Crowe. Finally, Baccarin goes unnoticed in a lot of discussion, but she is just as good as Ryan Reynolds and creates a perfect female counterpart to the snarky character.

Best Picture

The Lobster

The Nice Guys

10 Cloverfield Lane

Midnight Special

The Witch

All of these films are worth seeing, but The Nice Guys wins here. The film is a whole lot of fun. It has some of the best jokes and action set pieces of the year. Where it really transcends is where the jokes and the action combine. The story is entertaining, the writing and acting is on point. This is the new best buddy cop film. Cloverfield Lane and The Witch are two of the best horror films this year, creating tension and providing great character studies as well. The Lobster is one of the most unique films of the past decade. The premise is amazing and it will leave you thinking. Midnight Special, finally, is a perfect Spielberg film. Everyone can enjoy it and it is truly dazzling.